PROJECT
PackNwood – Fishbowl System
PLATFORM
BigCommerce
CHALLENGE
Incorporating the store into the company’s existing ERP system proved to be the most difficult component of the project.
SOLUTION
A bespoke solution that integrates fishbowl ERP through .net for seamless integration.
RESULTS
A centralised inventory system that decreases cart abandonment and increases customer satisfaction.
The Brief
About Project
Packnwood has been selling and producing ecologically responsible disposable tableware and food packaging for over 40 years. With operations throughout the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium, they are a truly global company.
While establishing their BigCommerce shop, Packnwood and WebDesk Solution addressed the possibility of enabling backorders. Because BigCommerce does not allow backorders, Packnwood asked WebDesk to design a custom web app that interfaces to their ERP system. This was critical to their business.
Challenges
The Challenges
Fishbowl (ERP)
Fishbowl (ERP) was the perfect order management solution for the client. However, getting Fishbowl and BigCommerce to work together with all the requirements was a challenge. Fishbowl provides a plug-in for BigCommerce integration. However, the need for backorders was not met by the current plug-in. The plug-in does not support multiple warehouses either, which was required by the specification. To keep track of inventories and orders, Fishbowl needs installing on the client’s private computer. Fishbowl is not a cloud-based application; thus, it was challenging to integrate. Integrating the new app with the existing ERP system was the most challenging aspect of the project. Packnwood relies on Fishbowl for their enterprise resource planning which allows a.net-based integration. The lack of functionality to combine with non .net based apps placed the plans in jeopardy.
Solution
Our Solution
Each warehouse is in charge of its inventory. Therefore, it becomes significant for businesses with several warehouses, such as Packnwood, to combine and show availability from all of them. Failure to display the consolidated stock could result in revenue loss. The WebDesk Solution team built a bespoke web application that allows administrators to sync inventory from several warehouses and reflect them on the BigCommerce Store. When it came time to integrate ERP with PHP, the WebDesk team used a novel approach that took into account both client demands and the company’s existing resource pool. First, we developed a custom solution to fulfill several warehouses’ needs and allow for backorders. Fishbowl is a system-specific application that integrates with .net services through an API. To get around this, we hosted Fishbowl on the cloud and used a PHP script to connect to it after opening the appropriate ports. It took us over a month to open the ports on the cloud computer needed for the Fishbowl to work precisely. Then, we wrote many PHP scripts for the Fishbowl integration to connect and sync all pertinent data with the cloud-based solution we developed.
Customization
Product Management.
Our bespoke module, which was integrated with Fishbowl, gives the admin the ability to manage, automate, and synchronize their Fishbowl inventory with the BigCommerce store. As a result, we developed a backend module to standardize order, monitoring, and inventory connections across many eCommerce Orders. With a single click, the administrator can sync products between Fishbowl and BigCommerce. They also can choose to sync modules at the desired time automatically.
Orders Management
Using the Orders Management module, the client can make changes to existing orders, manage orders in bulk, and obtain a quick and comprehensive view of all orders currently in process, among other things. Furthermore, syncing with the client’s ERP system is a breeze. In addition to the automated sync option, the client may also manually sync orders and monitor the current status in real-time.
Inventory Management
Even though it’s tough to get the hang of, keeping track of inventory in an online store is becoming more critical. Inefficient warehouse space costs money, and too much inventory stock may lead to outmoded or damaged items. The client can use the module to get data from the ERP system and display it by selecting a warehouse and a product or combination.
Clients
Client Testimonials
WebDesk Solution team was pretty easy to work on our website, the designers were excellent at their job as they created the design as per our expectations. The most important part for our website was the Data migration, for which we were a bit worried but the way they created the script and migrated the whole data was the best thing because we saw that the whole data was migrated without any loss. The project managers were very polite throughout the project and in the warranty period, too.
We at Camera Source, recommend WebDesk Solution for their services as we are highly satisfied with the work and their customer service.
